The present invention relates to an installation for the storage and/or transfer of dangerous products such as those presenting an irradiation hazard (radioactive waste, feed materials, sources, etc), or chemical contamination (plutonium, liquid effluents, etc) or such as explosives. More specifically, the invention relates in preferred manner an installation for the storage and/or transfer of irradiated fuel assemblies in the core of a fast neutron nuclear reactor.
It is known that irradiated fuel assemblies in the core of a fast neutron nuclear reactor are located in a tightly sealed sheath containing liquid sodium as soon as they are removed from the reactor cylinder, in order that the calories which the fuel continues to dissipate are removed under favourable conditions, despite the absence of storage in the reactor vessel. Another solution consists of transforming the assemblies under water or some other liquid (e.g. sodium.) after washing on leaving the reactor cylinder. It is also known that the irradiated fuel is reprocessed with minimum delay.
However, it may be necessary to provide for a provisional storage of the fuel assemblies, particularly when there is a difference between the time in which the reactor is put into operation and that in which the reprocessing plant is put into operation. Moreover, even when the reactor and reprocessing plant are both operating, the storage of the irradiated assemblies awaiting reprocessing is virtually indispensible due to the significant difference between the removal speeds from the reactor cylinder during an irradiated fuel replacement phase and the reprocessing possibilities of the reprocessing plant.
As the reprocessing plant is not in principle installed on the site on the reactor, it is possible to store the irradiated fuel on the same site as the reactor or on the site of the reprocessing plant. Technical problems are simplified by the first solution which makes it possible to defer the assembly transportation operations, thus reducing costs. For this reason, the storage installation according to the invention is preferably located on the site of the reactor. However, this location is not limitative and it is to be understood that the invention also covers the case when the storage installation is located on the site of the reprocessing plant.